How often do you spend time thinking about the past? This question struck a nerve with me recently. Maybe more than I should?
“It’s easy in this industry to think about the good old days, but we have to believe the best is yet to come,” said Milt Lowder, a Clemson University psychologist, during the 34th Annual Swine Conference.
During one of the most challenging economic times of the U.S. pork industry, I couldn’t help but think: How exactly do we do that?
Grit Matters
Lowder says it starts with believing who you are becoming is better than what you are now. Through awareness, action and accountability, we can all keep growing.
“Awareness without action leaves you worse off than you were before,” he says.
How often do we know something isn’t working right but we fail to do something about it? Admittedly, we can’t fix all the problems we are up against in the pork industry now, but we can control our effort, Lowder points out.
That’s why grit matters. We can start again. We can use our strengths to pursue action. We can be more grateful and mindful of how to use our resources.
I really liked this question he asked: Can you be thankful for what you do have and not let what you don’t have interfere with what you do?
I can look so deeply into how to fix a problem that I find myself focused solely on the problem and can miss everything else I have going well in my life.
This past month has been full of hard things like our daughter going off to college, the death of my uncle, the death of my colleague and the end of a season for my family that I just didn’t want to be over quite yet. Within five days, all of those things happened, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe because I wasn’t sure what to grieve in that moment.
Invest in Tomorrow
Here are a few points Lowder shared that have helped me think about my grief.
1. Focus on what you can control. We can’t control the past, other people, the economy or our own future, but we can control our attitude, actions, decisions, responses, emotions, preparation and habits.
2. Forgive. Sometimes the past seems better than the present, but sometimes it doesn’t. If your past brings feelings of pain and hurt, choose forgiveness.
3. Shut out negativity. Our brains process a lot of our own negative thoughts. Make your thoughts work for you, not against you. Write down who you want to be.
Each day I’m reminded of challenges producers face from getting the farm bill passed to revising budgets and work plans for 2025. If anything, this past month has challenged me to find the good in the tough.
We aren’t alone in the struggles, though we often think we are. If life is going well, remember others might be fighting battles. Reach out. Check in. If life is tough and you aren’t sure what to grieve next either, go be the person you need for someone else. Fight to believe the best is yet to come and invest in who you want to be tomorrow.
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